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Steven Stamkos
| birth_place = Markham, Ontario, Canada | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lb = 195 | position = Centre | shoots = Right | league = NHL | team = Tampa Bay Lightning | ntl_team = Canada | draft = 1st overall | draft_year = 2008 | draft_team = Tampa Bay Lightning | career_start = 2008 }} Steven Stamkos (born Steven Christopher Stamkos on February 7, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Steven was the first overall pick in the 2006 OHL Entry Draft, from the Markham Waxers of the OMHA. Playing with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, he scored 100 goals over two years. After a successful OHL career, Steven was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is a two-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner as the league's leading goal-scorer (2010 and 2012), a one-time NHL Second Team All-Star (2011) and has been named to two NHL All-Star Games (2011 & 2012). Playing Career Sarnia Sting Following a season with the minor Markham Waxers, in which he scored 197 points over 66 games, Steven was selected first overall in the 2006 OHL Draft by the Sarnia Sting. He played with other notable NHL players such as Logan Couture, John Tavares, Michael Del Zotto, Cameron Gaunce, Cody Hodgson and P.K. Subban during his minor hockey career in the Greater Toronto Area. Joining the Sting in 2006–07, Steven recorded 92 points (42 goals and 50 assists) over 63 games as a junior rookie. He was named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team, ranking behind Sam Gagner at the centre position. He also won the Bobby Smith Trophy as the league's scholastic player of the year for his academic efforts off the ice. The following season, Steven improved to 58 goals and 105 points over 61 games. He was named to the OHL Second All-Star Team, but was later selected to the CHL First All-Star Team, which encompasses the all three national major junior leagues. Playing in his NHL draft-eligible season in 2007–08, Steven was top-ranked throughout the campaign by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and International Scouting Services. He also won the CHL's Top Draft Prospect Award. Tampa Bay Lightning As the 2008 NHL Entry Draft approached, Steven was largely seen as the best available center. His primary competition for the top overall pick were defensemen Drew Doughty & Zach Bogosian and Russian wingers Nikita Filatov and Kirill Petrov. Tampa Bay by virtue of their 2007–08 campaign in which they won an NHL-worst 31 games, owned the first pick. As expected, Steven was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. On July 29, 2008, he signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Lightning in which he could earn as much as $8.55 million in performance bonuses. Leading up to the start of the 2008–09 season, the Lightning centred their promotional efforts around Stamkos, including a website with the slogan "Seen Stamkos?" 2008–09 Season Steven played in his first NHL game in Prague, Czech Republic, at the start of the 2008–09 season. The Lightning fell to the New York Rangers 2–1 and were eventually swept in Prague. He recorded his first point (a secondary assist) in his eighth game which was against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Following the game, Steven commented that his hometown support was "louder than when the Leafs scored." He scored his first goal the next game against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. After 54 games, he recorded the first NHL hat trick of his career on February 17, 2009. The Lightning held a 3-1 lead midway through the second period on the strength of Steven's natural hat trick, but were still beaten by the visiting Chicago Blackhawks, 5-3. The three goals enabled him to become the first rookie in Lightning history to score three goals in a game. Additionally, he also became the second youngest player in NHL history to record a hat trick. Bobby Carpenter was 18 when he scored three on Feb. 25, 1982. Though Steven was heavily criticized for his lack of production during the first half of the season, in which he was limited to less than 10 minutes of ice time some games (largely due to a dispute among head coach Barry Melrose and upper management, mainly co-owner Len Barrie on how to approach the development of Stamkos in the NHL), he finished the season with 19 points in his final 20 games.16 In his rookie season, Steven totalled 23 goals and 46 points as well as a −13 plus/minus rating. 2009–10 Season Prior to the 2009–10 season, Steven spent the summer training extensively with former NHL player Gary Roberts working on adding strength and endurance. Roberts got to know Steven in the 2008-09 season, his last in the league. He oversaw Stamkos' offseason workouts north of Toronto in Roberts' in-house gym which is a quick drive from Steven's family home in Unionville, Ontario. Steven spoke highly regarding the workouts: "It helped me a lot," he said. "I learned a lot about what I needed to improve on. There are certain aspects of my game that have improved because of that, and I'll be there again this summer working hard. It definitely gave me that extra jump for this season." In his second year with the Lightning, Steven began to find his range as an NHL sharpshooter and had a breakout season. Playing the bulk of the season on a line with Martin St. Louis and Steve Downie, he started the 2009–10 campaign with 10 goals in his first 11 games. Through the months of January and February, Steven had an 18-game point streak. By the time he turned 20, he was in the Top 5 in the league in scoring, challenging the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. On April 10, Steven netted a pair of goals against Tampa Bay’s rivals, the Florida Panthers which made him reach the mark of 50 goals. He ended the season with 51 goals, tied for most in the NHL with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins; the two shared the Rocket Richard Trophy as goal-scoring champions. Steven tied Crosby in the final minute of the last game of the season with an empty net goal. Stamkos became the third-youngest player to score 50 goals in a season, after Wayne Gretzky and Jimmy Carson. His number of goals, 51, was 5 more than he had points in the 2008–09 season. Steven's 44 assists gave him 95 points for the season, good for fifth place in the NHL behind Henrik Sedin, Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Backstrom. The Lightning, however finished the year with 34 wins and 80 points. After the season, team owner Jeffrey Vinik cleaned house as General Manager Brian Lawton and Head Coach Rick Tocchet were fired. 2010–11 NHL Season Following a high-scoring start to the 2010–11 season, in which he scored 19 goals in his first 19 games, Steven began to attract media attention for challenging the elite 50 goals in 50 games standard. Gretzky, who scored 50 goals in a record 39 games in 1981–82, told reporters he thought Steven was surrounded by enough talent in Tampa Bay to achieve the feat. On December 20, 2010, Steven scored his 26th goal of the season and the 100th of his career, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 on a Monday night game. Steven had one of three Lightning goals late in the second period that put Tampa Bay ahead 5-1. The center's milestone goal came in his 194th NHL game. In January of 2011, Steven was named by the NHL to play in the NHL All-Star Game. Stamkos was drafted second overall by Team Lidstrom, joining Tampa Bay teammate Martin St. Louis on the squad. As the season progressed, it became apparent Steven would not achieve the 50-in-50 mark. By the 52nd game, he had recorded a league-leading 38 goals. Steven's latter portion of the season was markedly less successful and he recorded just seven more goals in the last 30 games. Finishing with 45 goals, he ranked second in league-scoring, behind Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. His 91 points placed him fifth in the league for the second consecutive year. As the Lightning ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, Steven made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut in 2011. On April 23, he scored his first two career playoff goals, as well an assist, in an 8–2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Lightning advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. During the deciding Game 7, Steven took a slapshot from Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuk to the face. The impact broke his nose and bloodied his face, forcing him to momentarily leave the game; he returned with a full-visored mask. The Lightning went on to lose the game 1–0, eliminating them from the playoffs. Steven scored below his regular season pace with 13 points over 18 games, ranking fifth in team-scoring. 2011–12 Season During the off-season, Steven became a restricted free agent on July 1, 2011. Eighteen days later, he re-signed with Tampa Bay with a five-year, $37.5 million contract. On March 13, 2012, Steven scored his 50th goal of the 2011–12 season in a 6–1 win over the Boston Bruins. In doing so, he became the sixth player in NHL history to record more than one 50-goal season before his 23rd birthday. He then scored his 53rd goal on March 26 against the Philadelphia Flyers, breaking Vincent Lecavalier's team record for goals in a season, set in 2006–07. Five days later, Steven set an NHL record by scoring his fifth overtime goal of the regular season, beating Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec from the left circle (Steven's "trademark" shot during his first three seasons). On the final day of the regular season, he recorded his 60th goal in a 4–3 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets, becoming the 20th player in league history to achieve the feat and the first since Alexander Ovechkin did so in 2007–08. Adding to his 60 goals, he recorded 37 assists for 97 points, ranking second in the league, 12 behind Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who along with Henrik Lundqvist were named the league's three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy in April. Despite Steven's individual success, the Lightning struggled as a team, finishing the season out of the playoffs at 10th overall in the East. 2012–13 Season During the lockout, Steven trained with a handful of other NHL players at Gary Roberts’ training academy in Ontario. The lockout also gave him an opportunity to do things in his hometown of Toronto he normally wouldn't get to do. That included playing in his father's pick-up hockey league every Thursday night when he and former Lightning forward Steve Downie would mix it up with a group that varied as much in age (22-65) as ability. According to Steven: "It was a blast, those guys loved it they don't get a chance to play with NHL guys very often. It was a lot of fun and something I'll cherish forever." On March 1, 2013, Steven was named NHL 1st star for the month of February. He joined Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Chicago goaltender Ray Emery. He had a season-high six-game goal streak, six multi-point outings and recorded at least one point in 11 of 14 games last month. Steven ended February on an eight-game point streak (seven goals, seven assists). On March 18, 2012, Steven scored his 200th goal of his career to give the Lightning the victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. He finished the season with 29 goals which was good for second in the league behind Alexander Ovechkin's 32. He also had 28 assists which gave him a total of 57 points in 48 games. 2013-14 Season On November 11, 2013, Steven suffered a broken tibia in a game against the Boston Bruins. He was backchecking on a play late in the second period when he got tied up with Boston defenceman Dougie Hamilton. Steven's left skate appeared to hit the post first before his right leg crashed into it around the shin area. He tried to get up twice before going down to the ice in pain, grabbing his leg just above the ankle. After a brief delay, a stretcher was brought out and Steven was taken off to loud applause. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. He entered the day tied for the league's lead in scoring with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. On November 12, 2013, Steven underwent successful surgery in Boston to stabilize a fracture in his right tibia, and the team said he's expected to return to Tampa to begin rehabilitation immediately. On November 25, 2013, Steven made a press appearance where he was seen walking without the use of crutches or a walking boot. He updated the media about his miraculous progress and is hopeful to return to the Tampa Bay Lightning before the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. International Play Canada }} Steven has played for Canada in the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he helped the team win a gold medal. After his rookie season with the Lightning, he was named to Canada's roster for the 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. Steven continued to impress at the 2009 IIHF World Championships, scoring on his first career shift and meshing with fellow Lightning forward Martin St. Louis for 7 goals, 11 points and a plus-9 plus/minus rating en route to a 2–1 loss to Russia in the finals. He was also selected as a reserve by Team Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics and scored 7 goals in Canada's fifth place finish at the 2013 World Championships. Steven was expected to be a major contributor for Canada in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but his injury jeopardizes his chances of playing. Career Statistics Regular Season and Playoffs Awards & Achievements Junior NHL International Records *Most goals in a season by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 60 (2011–12) *Most overtime goals by an NHL player in a single season, 5 (2011–12) Personal Life Steven is of ethnic Macedonian and Scottish descent. He grew up in Unionville, Ontario, and played for the Markham Waxers in the Eastern AAA League of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). During one of his seasons with the North York Canadiens, he was teammates with P.K. Subban. Before being drafted in the OHL, Steven attended Central Park Public School and St. Brother André Catholic High School in Markham, Ontario. After being drafted by Sarnia, Steven attended the Northern Collegiate Institute & Vocational School. He won eight OMHA titles in a row in minor hockey and led his Waxers club to the OHL Cup title in March of 2006. Endorsements Following his NHL draft, Steven signed a number of sponsorships, including an athlete’s agreement with Nike. He was featured in a web-only Nike commercial called Forget Everything which was released to coincide with his first game in his hometown of Unionville on October 28, 2008. Steven has also endorsed Tissot watches. On June 22, 2011, he was named the cover athlete to the EA Sports NHL 12 video game. In late 2013, Steven played the leading role in a web commercial for Coca-Cola Zero named Shawn Warford's Moment Zero. Category:1990 births Category:Canadian ice hockey centres Category:National Hockey League first overall draft picks Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks Category:National Hockey League players with 50 goal seasons Category:Sarnia Sting alumni Category:Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players